Football News

K-State Holds Weekly Football Press Conference

K-State Holds Weekly Football Press Conference

Head Coach Bill SnyderOn what has changed for K-State to lead the Big 12 in turnover margin…“Having more experienced players who can process information more quickly and consequently react faster because of their experience. Sometimes that is not all created by interceptions, but the idea that sometimes good pressure is put on the quarterback; we’ve created some fumbles just by catching the quarterback in the middle of the throwing motion. Jordan Willis comes to mind as having been a pretty decent pass rusher. He has made improvement in that area and has been responsible for a couple of turnovers. He just reacted quicker to certain things that has allowed his pass rush to become better. It is a matter of experience again. We’ve gotten our hands up and tipped passes, which created interceptions.”

On Jesse Ertz’s play against Texas Tech…“He made some decent decisions. He brought the ball out when it was necessary to do so and ran the ball reasonably well. He threw the ball reasonably well during the course of the ballgame, especially in the first half. Some of the things that impeded our passing game in the second half didn’t all fall on his shoulders. He made some good decisions that just didn’t turn out good.”

On the play of offensive lineman Abdul Beecham…“He has really come along and has done a nice job. I have been impressed with what he has done so far. He is becoming a physical player, as well as fundamentally he is good. He is just playing well.”

On D.J. Reed’s rise to being a starter during fall camp…“It was going to be very competitive between Reed, (Cedric) Dozier and a couple other guys. Reed and Dozier surfaced rather quickly and were very competitive all the way up to the beginning of the season. I think they are guys with athletic abilities and have experience playing with other programs. It came down to who performed on the practice field the best. It was really a tight call, but Reed has adapted to the system quite well. He has had some difficulties, but he continues to make improvement, and I was really impressed with the interception that he made. It was how he read the scheme and broke on the ball, to make that quick decision. It shows that he is progressing with the system. Dozier played well for the time that he was in there too.”

On the impact of defensive scores…“It would be a key element. It means a lot of things – it means you stopped a drive, gained field position, and it means you got points on the field which helps your offense out. It goes without saying that it is extremely valuable. The non-offensive touchdowns are monumental, whether through the kicking game or defense.”

On the impact of younger community college players making plays…“I think it is significant to us, whether they are community-college transfers or out of high school, just finding the right people. Part of it is certainly the skill level, but there is a lot more that goes into it. I think that all of the young guys fit the criteria for what it is about to be a part of our program beyond the skill level – good guys, willing to work and have the discipline and values. That gives them the chance to be the players that their capabilities allow them to.”

On the development of Charles Jones…“I think there are a number of things for Jones to be the complete running back that you would like, but I was pleased that he did run aggressively. He wasn’t dancing around to make something happen that just wasn’t there. A lot of guys get caught up in doing that sometimes. Sometimes we will have to get the one yard rather than the minus four, and line up and try it again. It takes maturity, and he is gaining that as we go. There are some other things that he will make improvements on. It was the explosiveness that which he ran that was significant and important for us.”

Sophomore Defensive Back D.J. ReedOn his performance against Texas Tech…“I thought I made a lot of good plays, but I still have to get better. I gave up a 41-yard completion, so I have to work on that, just reading the receivers’ speed. The plays I watched, I was proud of myself and how I played on the two interceptions but the second one did not count.”

On facing Oklahoma Quarterback Baker Mayfield…“Watching film on Baker, he is very versatile, he can get out of the pocket, extend plays, and he is very good on his feet. Our defensive line is going to have to do a good job containing him and make sure that he does not get outside the pocket because he is pretty mobile and can throw the ball too.”

Sophomore Offensive Lineman Abdul BeechamOn starting the game…“My emotions were high. The first thing I did was call Mom and Dad back home and let them know I was starting. I just felt like all my hard work at practice during the week was starting to pay off. It was a good feeling.”

On his lack of experience…“When I was running out there and seeing all those fans, I was like, ‘Wow, this is really it.’ I just thought about how this was my chance to be in the spotlight. I have to perform when needed and that is what I needed to do. That is what we have to do as a team to move forward.”

On his self-assessment of the game…“I felt like I had a solid game. There are some things that I could have done better to help the team close the victory a little sooner. We are going to work this week to get those things corrected.”

Redshirt Freshman Defensive Tackle Trey DishonOn Oklahoma’s offense…“They have a lot of guys coming back on offense. They are pretty good up front. They are young, but they have a good combination of run and pass.”

On D.J. Reed…“He comes in to work every week and he has been doing pretty good for us. He and Duke (Shelley) like to get after it. They like to compete in practice. They are coming along very well, and I think you will see a lot more improvements from them as the year go on.”

On Oklahoma’s running backs…“They are both really good. I remember watching them when I was younger and watching them last year when they came here to play. They have strength and speed. They are a good run team, and I think that will be a good challenge for us.”

Redshirt Freshman Running Back Alex BarnesOn Abdul Beecham…“He really played well in his first start. He did a good job of opening holes for Charles (Jones) and Dalvin (Warmack), so it was a good opening day for Beecham.”

On young defense playing well…“They are doing as well as you can expect playing against the number on offense in the country that Texas Tech had. They did a really good job stepping up and made some really good plays.”

On getting the running game going…“We are going to need another physical game from guys like (Abdul) Beecham. It is going to be a physical ballgame all the way around. We both like to run the ball and have a lot of playmakers on both sides. It should be an exciting game.”